With many of the region’s leading businesses in attendance, the award celebrates an organisation that successfully inspires, motivates, develops and rewards its staff.
Cambscuisine was one of three companies shortlisted for the category and they were successful due to their culture; genuinely placing “people at the heart of the business”. Cambscuisine has 130 people working across six restaurants: St John’s Chop House, Smokeworks, The Cock Hemingford Grey, The Tickell Arms, The Cambridge Chop House and The Crown & Punchbowl and prides itself with having high staff retention in a sector where staff turnover is typically high.
With a number of innovative people development approaches –instead of having a head office and a traditional board, the Directors stay connected by working from their restaurants “surrounded by their team”. The Board is replaced with a team of “challengers” selected from across the business to provide feedback and ideas that has helped to nurture a strong family culture. Their aim is to help staff realise their full potential and many of their General Managers have started in roles such as dish washing and waiting, progressing through the business supported by a personalised development plan.
Lynn Walters, Director at Pure and awards judge, says: “We were proud to sponsor the category for the fourth year - it’s a huge privilege to watch Cambridge’s businesses thrive.”
“This year we met three diverse and amazing businesses who all have inspired teams of passionate people who are proud of their organisation and deliver a great customer experience. When a company gets it right, you can almost tangibly feel the culture that permeates throughout the business and Cambscuisine clearly showed a genuine passion for people development which shone through in the presentation. Congratulations to Oliver and his team.”
Lynn is well qualified in judging the best employer categories with a track record of developing employee engagement strategies and supporting talent management with Pure’s clients. In addition to core recruitment services, Lynn runs the highly successful Best Employers Eastern Region initiative - a biennial online survey, in partnership with eras Ltd, a provider of psychometric and talent solutions. The survey is open between April and September 2016, culminating in awards being presented at employee engagement seminars in October 2016, bringing together senior business leaders from the region Congratulations are also extended to the shortlisted companies Newmarket Racecourse and Genie Ventures for their commitment to their exceptionally engaged employees.
To find out more about the Cambridge News Business Excellence Awards or the Best Employers Eastern Region initiative, contact Lynn Walters on: 01223 209888 or lynn.walters@prs.uk.com.